Pitt won its opener yesterday, 38-3, against Youngstown State, and, while the score was lopsided, it provided very little insight on how good the Panthers are.

Sure, they ran for a lot of yards and freshman tailback Dion Lewis had a big day, but the Penguins were so overmatched up front it was hard to read much of anything into the results.

What does seem clear, however, is that, if the Panthers' offensive line plays well, they have a running back capable of making things happen.

In fact Lewis' debut was so good it is hard to imagine what he can do for an encore when the Panthers (1-0) begin the varsity portion of their schedule at Buffalo next week.

Lewis rushed 20 times for 129 yards and two touchdowns and also caught a swing pass and took it 3 yards for a touchdown.

That represented the best opening-day rushing performance by a freshman in school history and the best opening-day performance by any Panthers rusher since Curtis Martin's 251-yard effort against Texas in 1994.

"The most important thing is we got a win, and my teammates, especially my linemen and coaches, they really put me in the position to make some plays," Lewis said. "But it isn't about being a freshman. I had to do those things today because my coaches and teammates expect it from me, otherwise I wouldn't be the starting running back.

"I never imagined it would happen like this, but it was special. But I am not just going to take this game and stop working hard, I need to work harder and start to think about all the little things I need to work to improve on. It was a great feeling knowing that I worked so hard my whole life for this moment."

Lewis set the tone on the Panthers' second drive when he rushed three times for 27 yards, including a 16-yard touchdown run in which he made a great move that left at least one Youngstown State defender looking completely lost.

The touchdown put the Panthers up, 7-0, and they never looked back. More important, it showed that Lewis is not just a north-south runner but also has some slick moves and can make people miss in the open field.

This, of course, did not surprise his teammates who saw Lewis' moves throughout training camp as well as last spring.

Lewis graduated from high school a semester early and enrolled at Pitt in January so that he could participate in spring drills and compete for the starting job he ultimately won.

"[We're not surprised by anything he does], not any more," Pitt quarterback Bill Stull said.

"I was kind of expecting him to make someone look a little bit silly today."

Stull was solid, but not spectacular, and it was clear the game plan was designed to help him gain some confidence. He did not have to try many tough throws and spent most of the day throwing screens or other short passes.

He completed 11 of 16 for 123 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He was given most of the second half off as redshirt freshman Tino Sunseri relieved him and was 5 of 8 for 80 yards and a touchdown.

Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said he thought the two quarterbacks played well, particularly Stull, who has been the subject of much scrutiny since his underwhelming Sun Bowl performance when the Panthers were shut out, 3-0, by Oregon State.

"I thought Bill Stull played well, considering all the scrutiny he has been under," Wannstedt said. "It's rough, it hasn't been easy on him. He is doing everything that he can. He's a tough guy. I thought Tino Sunseri went in and played well, too."

While the offense put in a mostly workmanlike effort, the defense, particularly the starters, barely broke a sweat as they were physically superior to their counterparts.

Leading the way, not surprisingly, was the Panthers' heralded front four of Greg Romeus, Mick Williams, Gus Mustakas and Jabaal Sheard.

The Panthers limited the Penguins to 159 yards of total offense, had six sacks and forced two turnovers. And outside of one drive in which Pitt missed a couple of tackles on third-down plays, the Panthers were never threatened by the Penguins.

"Pitt's defense was tremendous," Youngstown State coach Jon Heacock said.

"Their defense is one of the best in the nation. We're not going to see a team in our conference with a defense like Pitt. I told coach [Wannstedt] that his front seven is awfully good."

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NOTES -- Attendance was 48,497. ... Pitt has sold about 35,000 non-student season-ticket packages and more than 44,500 season-ticket packages (when the student season tickets are added in), the second most in school history behind 2003. ... Pitt's only injury was to special-teamer Dan Cafaro, who sustained an unspecified leg injury. ... Senior linebacker Adam Gunn had two of Pitt's six sacks. ... Pitt is 8-0 against Division I-AA teams.